Producing STEM Graduates in Florida: Understanding the Florida Context

Abstract

After making the case for studying STEM production in a national context in chapter one, chapter two narrows the focus to Florida, considering the state as a microcosm of issues confronting students pursuing STEM degrees across the country. Specifically, our discussion includes descriptions of the locations, demographic makeup, resources, and infrastructure, and overall campus ecology of the four engineering programs we focused on. The use of a mixed methods research approach allows this chapter to meet three goals. The first is to frame Florida as a unique field site that is also representative of national trends in engineering, including recruitment and retention of underrepresented women and minority students. A discussion of program efficacy provides information on how it is calculated and defined. The second goal is to familiarize the reader with ethnographic methods. Finally, we will apply our ethnographic methods to introduce the reader to the research sites, using observational and anecdotal information to contextualize interview and survey data presented here and in subsequent chapters. In subsequent chapters, we more closely examine culture and climate as they affect student fit and student retention in engineering undergraduate programs in the state.